In March, an eight-person federal jury’s found the City of Media and its City Manager Donna Hanson guilty of firing former Police Chief Jeffrey Chen because of his race. As Chen’s attorney Marianne Jones stated, Hanson fired Chen because of ‘old school racism.’ “Donna Hanson,” said Jones, “is racist and needs to stop.” We, OCA Greater Seattle, totally agreed.

So, why hasn’t Donna Hanson been fired? How can the City of Medina have a racist as their city manager? The jury heard testimony that Hanson made several racial slurs like asking Chen if “you people” eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Remember when Hall of Fame basketball player Rick Barry, who was working as a TV announcer on a nationally broadcast game, turned to African American basketball player Bill Russell and said, “You people like watermelon.” Barry was fired the next day for that racial slur.

But Hanson did not only have it in for Chen because he was Chinese; she apparently does not believe in racial minorities on her staff since not one of the 25 staff persons who are employed by the City of Medina is a person of color. Moreover, there were others employees of the City of Medina, including those on its police force which seemingly had it in for Chen because of his race. Like Hanson, they also directed some racial slurs at Chen.

Twice in early 2011, once before Chen was fired and again not too long after, the Medina City Council had the chance to fire Hanson. In January a motion to terminate her contract was made by the City Council, but it did not pass. Then in June, more than 350 signed a petition to the Council to fire her and to re-instate Chen. But the Council did not even make a motion to do so.

The fact that the City of Medina failed to fire Hanson then and have failed to do so now is clearly an indictment on that City Council and a reflection on the citizens of that city. While there is clearly a good number of fair-minded citizens, racially tolerant citizens in Medina who appreciate racial diversity, our perception is that there is clearly a major element in that city that are racially intolerant. To put it mildly, our perception — and we are sure the perception of other persons of color– is that the Medina city government and populous is not a welcoming place for Asians Pacific Islanders and other people of color. It’s old time rich people with old time beliefs and values, including racial prejudice.

There is another disturbing thought as to why Hanson has not been fired: There is the prevailing perception that racial discrimination against Chinese in America is minimal, at worst, and practically non-existence. This belief transcends all of American society, including Chinese and other Asian Americans. Much of this belief can be attributed to the educational and economic success of Chinese and their low crime rate. Consequently, when it comes to racial discrimination and equal rights, Chinese are not taken seriously.

Think about that and imagine what would have happened if the same or similar racial slurs were directed at an African American or a Latino. Would there be any doubt that Hanson would had been fired?

The Chinese in Washington State
by Art and Doug Chin

The OCA – Greater Seattle is extremely pleased to publish The Chinese in Washington State, a book that chronicles the incredible journey of Chinese in the state. The new publication documents the untold history of Chinese, whose presence in the State dates back to the mid-1800s. “With the exception of some limited information on the anti-Chinese riots in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington State history books have completely ignored the presence of Chinese,” said Doug Chin, OCA – Greater Seattle president and one of the book’s authors. “We want the public, including Chinese, to know about the
legacy of Chinese in this state, particularly the contributions they made to this State and the hardships the early Chinese endured.”

The book reveals the indispensable role Chinese laborers played in developing the Territory’s lumber, mining, cannery, farming and railroad industries. Furthermore, the authors claim that statehood for Washington would have taken much longer, if not for the 15,000 Chinese who worked on the transcontinental Northern Pacific Railway.

The book also provides a comprehensive account of the brutally racist Anti-Chinese Movement, which covered the entire Territory, and its consequences. In addition, it describes the relegation and retreat of Chinese to the confines of Chinatown. For decades, the Chinese were a small, segregated, and isolated group.

The plight of the Chinese began to change with the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, but really turned around even more because of the civil rights movement and the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act. Together, they opened the doors to immigration, employment and educational opportunities.

With the tremendous influx of recent immigrants, particularly those from mainland China, the Chinese number some 100,000 in Washington and now the largest Asian American group in the state. Meanwhile, the recent immigrants — most of them professionals — have substantially helped advance the socio-economic status of the Chinese. They have also established new institutions and organizations as the Chinese community becomes much more diverse culturally, socially, and politically.

The authors, Art and Doug, have written extensively on the history of Chinese in Seattle and Washington State. In 1974, they wrote Uphill: The Settlement and Diffusion of Chinese in Seattle Washington. Art Chin wrote Golden Tassels: The Chinese in Washington State (1989), and Doug Chin wroteSeattle’s International District: The Making of a pan-Asian American Community (2001).

A few weeks ago, the Chinese American Heritage Society held their conference here in Seattle. This event allowed individuals from all over the country to gather, reminisce and inspire action for present and future generations. Above is just a glance of the conference.

For more pictures, please visit Keoke Silvano’s photography website at www.keokesilvano.com.

On May 4th, 2013 The Wing Luke Museum will be hosting a preview film screening of One Generation’s Time. It is a Seattle Channel documentary detailing the 1981 murders of two Filipino American cannery worker activists, their fight for fair labor conditions, the civil rights movement they helped foster and the ensuing effort to seek justice for their killings.

Space is limited. Advance registration is strongly recommended. RSVP to Contact@seattlechannel.org or by calling (206) 733-9764

The University of Washington’s Department of American Ethnic Studies in partnership with the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute will be hosting a free screening of AOKI on May 10, 2013. A question & answer with AOKI filmmakers Ben Wang & Mike Cheng will follow the screening. The event is free to the public and will be located at Smith Hall, Room 120 at the University of Washington. For more information please check out the flyer below. We hope to see you there!

Directions to Smith Hall

“Parents and kids, don’t be afraid of saying that you’re gay. I was afraid for over 60 years and those 60 years were wasted…” —Cheryl Chow

In 1989, Chow was elected to the Seattle City Council, where she served for two terms. In 1990, she returned to one of her great passions: Education and serving the young. For more than 40 years, Chow’s educational service included teaching and serving on the Seattle School Board (elected 2005-2009, served as Board President in 2007 and 2008).

“Everything she was about was advancing the welfare of children.” —Steve Sundquist, Seattle School Board

Last year, Chow revealed her battle against brain cancer and publically came out as a lesbian. She has spoken about her regret for not coming out earlier and considers it her “last crusade” to empower young people, especially the students that she taught, who have been struggling with their sexual identity.

“Instead of being led by curators, we [The Wing Luke Museum] are led by communities.” —Cassie Chinn

“Community members become the curators and they decide on the design, content and vision of each exhibit.” —Cassie Chinn

Currently, Chinn is the Deputy Executive Director for the Wing Luke Museum and has served as the advisor for several award-winning exhibits. Previously, she had served in program development, planning for the new museum and community engagement. Many credit her astounding effort in the Wing Luke Museum’s Capital Campaign where over the course of ten years, she helped to raise over $23 million to support the relocation of the museum to the East Kong Yick Building in the center of Chinatown/International District.

Over the many years that she has been at the museum, she has helped pioneer, through quiet leadership, tact and steely determination, the innovative community-engagement museum model, where elders, students, activists and community members come together to develop exhibits and programs based on oral histories, intergenerational dialogue and attention to contemporary social issues.

Nearly forty years since its inception, the International Examiner has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1974. With a readership of 30,000, it is the oldest, non-profit Pan-Asian American newspaper. Established in the Pacific Northwest and named after Seattle’s International District, the International Examiner was initially a publication aimed at serving the business interests of Asian Americans in Seattle. When the International Examiner was bought in 1975 by the Alaska Cannery Workers Association for $1, it took on a more activist, community-based tone. It dedicated itself to serving as a catalyst for building an informed and inspired Asian Pacific American community. Nearly 40 years later, the International Examiner continues to encourage critical thinking by providing timely coverage of relevant and APA news and events. The International Examiner is governed by a volunteer board of directors, guided by a set of goals.

In brief, the goals are to:

Maintain the highest professional standard of journalistic excellence in news content
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The conference is a celebration of Seattle’s Chinatown/International District. We are pleased to highlight our accomplished speakers, who will present on a range of topics. From commemorating the expulsion of Chinese in Seattle, to seeking redress for past wrong, to reclaiming the vibrant growth of the community outside of the Chinatown/International District borders, to preserving the rich history of our community through jewelry, tours, graphic novels, poetry, museology, documentaries and film, we invite all of you to enjoy this “Passage to Seattle.”

For more information about the Chinese American Heritage Societies or this upcoming conference, please visit their website.

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International Community Health Services (ICHS) is a nonprofit community health center that offers affordable health care services to Seattle and King County’s Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, as well as other underserved communities.

The ICHS Foundation’s annual fundraising gala, “Bloom,” brings together patients, supporters and ICHS staff members to raise money for uncompensated charity care and much-needed services.

Save the date for Bloom 2013!

Join them in celebrating ICHS’ 40th anniversary on May 18, 2013 at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. To learn more about this event, please visit the International Community Health Services webpage

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